This invention generally relates to a roller type shade and, more particularly, to a security shade adapted for use in a motor vehicle to obstruct the view into an interior compartment area of the vehicle by covering the compartment area.
In many styles of motor vehicles, a rear compartment or cargo area is provided for storing cargo or personal items. Previously, any articles in the cargo area could be easily viewed from the exterior of the vehicle. To discourage would be thieves, motor vehicle manufacturers now typically provide a retractable security shade or panel that can be extended to cover the cargo area and prevent anyone outside of the vehicle from readily viewing any stored articles.
Typically, security shades are comprised of a roller tube and flexible fabric panel, which is wrapped onto the roller tube, mounted to a support structure in the vehicle. The roller tube is rotationally biased so that the panel can be extended to cover the compartment area and retracted onto the roller tube for storage when not in use. The free edge of the shade panel is normally provided with a pull tube or stiffener having a handle that enables the panel to be conveniently extended. The pull tube also includes clips or tabs, typically on its ends, which engage brackets mounted to the vehicle sidewalls in the cargo area and maintain the panel in its extended position.
For many vehicles, the security shades are mounted so that the roller tube is positioned across one end of the cargo area with the shade panel being extendable rearward toward the vehicle's rear cargo door. Often the security shade is positioned behind a rear seat back which can be folded down to enlarge the cargo area of the vehicle. When the cargo area is enlarged, the security shade needs to be removed to prevent it from obstructing and limiting full use of the cargo area. For this reason, security shades often feature a mounting system which allows them to be easily removed from and reinstalled into the vehicle. This requirement involves incorporating a number of individual components into the security shade and adds to the overall cost and complexity of the unit.
The complexity of conventional security shades is derived from the high number of components which must be incorporated into the ends of the security shade to provide for, not only the removable mounting of the security shade system, but also the rotational biasing of the roller tube. In production these numerous components must be individually assembled together which is both cumbersome and labor intensive. Obviously, components which are readily adaptable to different vehicle applications, including different vehicle models and different vehicle widths, reduce the manufacturer's on-hand inventory requirements and ease production requirements.
A security shade according to this invention improves over existing devices with respect to the above referenced areas of concern. The present security shade is provided with a construction that simplifies manufacture, and reduces the number of individual components typically found in security shades. Specifically, the present invention provides for a roller tube support subassembly which is mounted to the ends of the roller tube and which provides for both the rotational biasing of the roller tube and the mounting of the security shade within the vehicle. This subassembly construction eases the complexity and labor intensity of assembly while also maintaining a prewound biasing force in the subassembly until final assembly with the roller tube. The various individual components of the subassembly are also capable of being utilized on either the left or right end of the security shade. Because of this, the present invention reduces the amount of inventory which must be kept on hand by the original manufacturer or repair facility.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.